After It's Over
by itsclowreedsfault
Summary: It's the night after they leave Clow Country. Kurogane wakes up to find a sleepless Fai on the balcony.
**After It's Over**

The first night after they leave Clow Country, Kurogane wakes up while it's still dark. The kid and the white pork bun are asleep on the bed by his right side, but the one on his left is empty, and soon the ninja realizes what woke him up. The hotel room they are staying in is on the third floor, and the sliding door leading to the balcony is ajar, letting a cool breeze enter the room. He can see Fai outside, his back to him, leaning on the railing.

He slips out of bed, careful not to wake the others, and makes sure to close the door completely after going outside. The cold stings his unprotected face. Their sleeping clothes are way too light for the weather, but Fai doesn't seem to notice it. He gives Kurogane a quick glance, a smile forming on his lips, and then goes back to admiring the sky.

"Sorry if I woke you up, Kuro-pon."

Kurogane stops beside him, eyes intent on the mage's face.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine. Just couldn't sleep."

Fai's face is neutral, but his voice is less enthusiastic than usual. Kurogane feels himself getting angry. After everything they went through, does the mage really think he can lie to him and get away with it? Before he can call out on the other's bullshit, though, Fai lets out a low chuckle.

"You worry too much about me, Kuro-rin", he elbows the ninja's side, earning a huff from the taller man, and then adds, "I'm just worried about Syaoran-kun. I know this is a price he accepted to pay, but it's not easy for him being separated from Sakura-chan so soon. Not after all they went through."

"He's a strong kid, and he knew the consequences the moment he made his choice. He can take it. Besides, he won't be dealing with this alone. We're here too, right?"

"Right. We're here."

The way Fai's smile widens and his entire posture relaxes at this makes Kurogane think about something the mage said earlier, while they were still in Clow.

"You might be worried about the kid, but you're glad about this journey. About being able to keep traveling with us."

Kurogane can almost feel the air around them getting heavier, and knows he's hit the mark. His eyes meet blue ones when Fai finally turns to him. He's not smiling anymore, but he doesn't seem angry either.

"You _really_ see through everything, Kuro-sama. It's pathetic, isn't it?", Fai laughs, but it's dry. His eyes are down, avoiding Kurogane's fierce ones that are trained on his face. "I guess, while we were on our journey, I never gave much thought to what would happen… after. When it was over, though, it hit me, and… I was happy when Syaoran-kun let us come with him. Of course, this will end too. It has to, someday. Everyone deserves to be able to go home. Still, even though it's selfish, I can't help but feel thankful that I have some time left before that happens."

Fai's sudden sincerity catches Kurogane a little off guard. His chest is tight, and he's unusually gentle when his fingers grip Fai's chin, forcing him to look up. The mage's expression is like a blow – there's shame and hesitancy, almost as if he's waiting for Kurogane to push him away. He doesn't want Fai to think like that. He knows – damn, he's known for so long now – that he could never let the other go.

Kurogane makes his decision, then.

"You too."

Confused eyes look back at him, and he has to clean his throat before he can speak again, because he's not used to saying these kind of things and it's difficult to get the words right.

"You deserve to go home too."

"But Kuro-tan-"

"Before we left Clow Country, you said you don't have a home anymore. Celes was destroyed, I know. But you could… you could come to Nihon with me."

Kurogane can tell Fai wasn't expecting him to say that. The mage makes a strangled sound in his throat and gives a step back.

"Why would you want me to go with you?"

His eyes are frantically searching Kurogane's face. The ninja doesn't give him any more time to be surprised, though. He steps forward, his hands grabbing Fai's hips to pull him closer. He's not letting him escape, not this time.

"Don't pretend to be stupid, mage. I think you know why", he says before he crushes his lips against Fai's.

Kurogane's thought about this so many times, but nothing could have prepared him for the feeling of having the mage's body melting against him, his arms going around the ninja's neck to pull him closer. Despite the cold, Fai's lips are warm and soft, and Kurogane forgets everything for a moment. He can only focus on the fact that Fai is in his arms, their breaths mingling as they pause for air seconds before their lips meet again.

When they finally stop kissing, Kurogane keeps holding Fai close against himself. The mage is silent, eyes half-closed, and the ninja worries he might have gone too fast. Fai was never good at confronting his feelings, always trying to avoid them through his fake smiles and jokes. He could run away again.

He doesn't. Instead, Fai tightens his arms around Kurogane and buries his face in the ninja's chest.

"Kuro-sama", he whispers. "I'll go with you."

Kurogane thinks his heart is going to beat out of his chest. He can sense the ghosts that still linger behind that whisper, but that's not all there is anymore. He can feel Fai's relief and gratitude at being accepted – he's not completely used to it yet, even after Celes – but there's also a hint of happiness, so Kurogane knows it's only a matter of time. He tightens his grip around Fai, threading his fingers through the mage's hair. They're going to be together. After all of this is over, Fai will stay with him. Kurogane would be embarrassed about how happy this thought makes him if he hadn't gone through so much to get to this moment.

 _I love you so damn much_ , he wants to say, but doesn't. They're not ready for this yet. They're in an unknown world, with another journey ahead of them, one they don't know how long will last. The cold wind picks up and Fai shivers, pressing himself even more against Kurogane, and the ninja chuckles.

"I think it's about time we went to bed."

Fai's smile is real this time; it reaches his eyes and makes them sparkle with mischief.

"Are you suggesting we sleep together, Kuro-sama? How forward of you."

Kurogane stutters and his cheeks turn a deep red. He tries to hit the other's head, but Fai dodges easily.

"Stop saying stupid things, mage. The kid and pork bun are in there."

"You mean if they weren't, you'd be ok with that?"

Kurogane's cheeks are downright burning now and he marches inside the room mumbling something that sounds like "shut up, idiot mage". Fai trails behind him, hand to his mouth to muffle his laughter.

Just like that, they're back to their usual routine, but it's different from before because, this time, when they are both settled on each of their beds, Kurogane turns to his left, and even in the barely lit room he can see Fai is turned towards him too, and he's still smiling.

"Goodnight, Kuro-sama."

"Goodnight, _Fai_."

* * *

Hey readers! This was my first time writing KuroFai and it was so much fun! I hope you guys enjoyed it and it wasn't too OOC or something :D

Also, English is not my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes!


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